Sigil

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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???

Location: E12/E13

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The push of this blitzkrieg attack against the Goblin bandit squad did very little to despoil the land, and in fact, wasn't doing much to upset the usual sounds of the wind and wood around them. Oh yes, the squirrels and birds of the land did an excellent job getting away from the fray, and Kathryn's warcry from earlier did shatter the slumber of the odd, unwary burrowing mammal nearby. And let's not forget the crackling golden energy blast delivered by the Tiefling atop the high rock, accompanied by various admonishments to the general naughtiness of the ruthless greenskins below. Or the screaming and jabbering of the Goblins themselves as they realized that stabbing was afoot.

So I retract my previous statement. Despite the quiet surety with which this group saw to the combat on its outset, the following moments could have been heard by an elderly Dwarf wearing earplugs, fresh from the pounding, ringing hammers of an active forging operation during wartime.

Yet, even over this, as if finding the one moment wherein loud noises were not happening and attention from the majority of the group had eyes upon, or at least peripheral vision containing, a certain human-sized wooden box nearabouts to the road, one could hear the scrambling of movement coming from within. More than this, an even less astute observer would have had no problems hearing a hollow THWAP as something violently connected with the interior or the coffin's lid hard enough for it to swing up an inch or two before slapping back down.

Following this - silence.

@Dragoknighte Marita is up next. Good luck!

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

@Dragoknighte@rivaan@Remipa Awesome@Lewascan2@Sigil

To all my guys, gals, and assorted nonbinary pals, I bid you a warm and fuzzy welcome to the first round of actual, turn-based combat! I know, right? So exciting! Hell, I'm out of breath!

I realize that this probably doesn't look quite as epic a brawl as it might have been, a good measure of this because the surprise round that we all took saw the group stomping roughshod over the lion's share of the baddies on the map. This tells me a few things. In later planned encounters, factors might need to be adjusted. But don't any of you worry; this one will continue without any of the interesting bits of DM fiat that one might do to keep things lively. (mental note - cancel the Ogre paratroopers - for now) As promised in our Discord, for your posting convenience, our spiffiest of Initiative Orders follows:

• Kosara
• Hugh
• Kathryn
• DM
• Marita
• DM
• Victoria
• DM

As things perish, I will update the Initiative Order to reflect. A few things to consider/be reminded of before we begin in earnest, now that we are in rotation:

Special rules or circumstances will be given for each fight in OOC when it begins. In this case, there are no special rules; this is a straightforward fight. There are a couple of circumstances to consider, and most of this is about line of sight. Kosara has an okay view of everyone except for G9. The ones behind the cart have the equivalent of half cover. Hugh has zero line of sight. He will have to reposition before he can get off a shot, if he intends to attack. Kathryn can make out G9 around the trunk of the big tree north of the campfire, but from her position cannot see the other two behind the wagon.

You have 48 hours when your turn comes to post or you will be skipped. Your character will automatically take the Dodge action, and we will move on. If you are skipped twice you are removed from this RP. When you have posted, please tag the next person in the initiative order. As always, make all declarations and rolls in the Discord OOC and wait for results.

And per usual, thanks for showing up and have fun with the massacre glorious battle ahead.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Battle Map

But the gut-wrenching, blood-spewing, limb-rending, toe-licking horror of the day wasn't done yet! Oh no, there was more crimson vitality to spill across the fading grass and colorful tree sheddings of the season. The bold and noble(?) adventurers questing in the Avonshire region had done much to run over this green skinned speedbump on their way to glory, but the job had not been completed as of yet.

Likewise, the Goblins weren't ready to back down, either. The surprise had worn off, and there was going too be hell to pay for interrupting their revelry by slaughtering those in their drunken GobSquad. The gloves were off, and sharp, pointy implements were being readied with the intent to add structurally superfluous orifices to the collective torsos of their attackers, numbers be damned! Maybe their confidence came from a wine cask. Maybe they knew something that the party didn't. It was not their prerogative to reveal such secrets, if they existed in the first place, in the middle of this skirmish.

Suffice it to say, those surviving Goblins gripped their stabby things tightly and made horrible, lewd gyrations at the warriors nearby. They weren't going down without a fight, and meant every insult along the way.

Initiative has been rolled. The privilege of first attack goes to @rivaan. Let's see what Kosara the Tiefling has for us today. Your 48 hour window begins now, and remember to tag the next person in the rotation. Good luck!

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Victoria Belmont Half-Elf, Bard, Level 3 HP: 23 / 23 Armor Class: 15 Conditions: Bless Location: H11 -> E16 (Morty to D15) Action: Weapon Attack Bonus Action: (ongoing) Help Action for Morty Reaction: N/A

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Victoria watched most of the plan metaphorically dissolve into a puzzling, foamy liquid which pooled disappointingly around her ankles. Somehow she had managed to get herself out in the front of an ongoing melee, where in all honesty Bards dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge should not be when there were warriors and armored clergyfolk about. It was a less than optimal situation, but there they were. Given a lack of options now that she was in the thick of things, it appeared to be the better action to move along with the flow of the conflict, pushing through to the other side as attempting to evade this situation was now impossible.

Given that Victoria was prone to supporting others in a fight rather than taking a more brutal approach, she decided to act in this regard as it came to Marita, as she had made it her priority to act as backup to the one taking point. In this case, it was the Cleric. If only her colleagues could see her now. To her credit, the purple clad Bard was quite the striking figure as she placed one careful, dexterous foot in front of the other in pursuit of her quarry, about a meter length of skillfully forged, sharpened steel clearing the throat of its scabbard with a muted metallic hiss. The cut & thrust rapier swished before Victoria, her face and movements radiating the kind of fearless confidence that only a great hero (or talented performer) could muster.

Meanwhile, the burlap-wrapped monstrosity which Victoria kept as a tusked beast of burden took off at a jerky, uneven gallop, skirting past Marita on the side of the gruesome cookfire opposite of its mistress, bearing down on the injured but not dispatched Goblin. The look of sheer, fearful distraction which crossed the diminutive adversary's face was temporary, as this opening allowed Victoria to plunge her blade into its chest and remove it in a single deft motion. The Bard believed in fighting effectively far more than she did fighting fairly, and would utilize whatever was available in the pursuit of pragmatism for this task. This included but was not limited to the use of reanimated swine.

As the blade exited the creature and its breath gurgled its last, Victoria swept herself into a functional pirouette, spinning a bit for flourish and for the practical effect of a quick survey of the battlefield around her. This fight was not done yet.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Victoria Belmont Half-Elf, Bard, Level 3 HP: 23 / 23 Armor Class: 15 Conditions: Bless Location: P14 -> H11 Action: N/A Bonus Action: Reaction: N/A

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There existed the briefest of battlefield short-speak which detailed the plan which they had intended to pursue. Things like this happen when new information crept into open knowledge. In this case, the true nature of their potential opponent. And while Victoria wasn't one who usually relied on such silly concepts as concrete plans, a generally agreed upon idea as to how they should proceed was more preferable then not. So what happened next was ever so slightly irksome to the young Bard. Still, it was not entirely without merit, and so Victoria gave a shrug and committed to placing herself where she she might be most useful.

The gift of deepening shadows and other barely tangible obscuring factors came as a welcome addition, even if this took place at the time of day when the sun was almost at its highest. It still functioned admirably to greatly enhance Victoria's stealthier abilities. A brief mental command had Morty following along in her footsteps as to minimize noise coming from the reanimated foodstuff, and soon she was on her way to position as planned.

The very recent conversation about offering surrender and arguments designed to counter said point flashed briefly through Victoria's mind. She didn't agree with the idea, thinking that such an offer was impractical at best and would ruin any chance at surprise. Seeing as they were outnumbered by almost two to one, this might be important. As drunk as the Goblins were all it took was one lucky shot to turn this outing into a tragedy, and they had more chances for this kind of luck that her compatriots. Still, if Kathryn was to deliver terms, she might as well get it over with. Owing to Victoria's nature, she refused to verbally weigh in on the issue. Who knew? Maybe this might deliver another, heretofore unforeseen option to the situation.

It was at this moment that things took a turn. Kosara moved to join Hugh, their resident sneakyperson, instead of backing up their frontliners. Kathryn's movement slowed to a cease along the road, stopping a bit short of taking point. Marita was out front and all alone; not helpless by any means but without someone covering her immediate vicinity. Victoria was no soldier, despite the martial sword at her waist or the well utilized dagger opposite it on her belt. But she was naturally a very dashing looking individual that could exude confidence in ways that seemed like magic. Plus, of course, she knew a bit of actual magic. Her place might not have been at the front of a fight, but damnit, someone else needed to be. She had a clerical blessing upon her, she told herself. Even if it was from Law deity. She would be fine.

Victoria felt a little bad about that last thought. Most of the deities to which she gave homage supported a code of ethic, though it was largely their own principals they upheld and not the concept of Law as its own divinity. It still didn't mean that the bless didn't itch a little, like an unexpected hug. She could sense the underlying power flowing through her, which hopefully she would use with something akin to dignity and sophistication.

These factors in mind, Victoria issued a quick mental command to Morty, subtly changing the nature of its standing orders to assist and bodyguard, and contrary to her usual tactics for health and well-being, moved as quietly as she could to support point by taking Marita's rear flank. Respectively, the walking, mummy-wrapped barbecue known colloquially as Morty took up position at Victoria's side. If they were going to do this, they might as well get this done. Victoria placed the most assertive, unshakable expression that she possibly could and rested her hand on the hilt of her rapier. A quick glance down confirmed the presence of a long, slender bag at her side. Whatever contingencies she could muster were in place. She gave a quick nod in Marita's direction, curious as to what was going to happen next. It was an exciting moment to be alive.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Battle Map

Aside from the occasional laughter and snatch of conversation in a guttural, whiny language that no one seems to be able to understand, a series of burps (birthed of pilfered wine) let fly in a competitive nature for volume, depth, and duration, and the occasional meat-fart, most of what can be heard is the rustle of wind through leaves. No animals, be they the beasts of the earth or the birds of the sky; nary a cricket chirp nor scratching of an unwary squirrel upon tree bark could be heard over the gibbering victory sounds of the inebriated antagonists. The aroma of meat and sizzling fat hung irregularly in the air at the whims of the prevailing breeze, which itself suppressed the otherwise omnipresent scents of a rural autumn.

As this group of intrepid adventurers silently (and dear sweet bacon was it silent) moved to their intended locations to attempt control over the likely field of battle, the Goblins did not seem any the wiser. There was one moment where a single diminutive greenish bandit stood from near the fire, its mouth agape and eyes suddenly wide. A skinny arm reached up in the general direction of the party as they maneuvered, quite possibly to alert the others to the uninvited approach of tall humanoids to ruin their feasting and fun. The next second saw this Goblin close his eyes tight and let forth a single, quite gooey sneeze upon one of its fellow before crouching back down, blissfully unaware of anything amiss happening and returning to chew on a couple of bones before tossing them into the fire, stripped of any discernible flesh. A fuss was kicked up around the fire, following the phlegmy assault, but nothing that didn't resolve itself in a short moment.

No one even seemed to notice the shadows deepening on the other side of the road and upon it; no twitch of ear or uttering to indicate that they saw anything moving from within it. The lookout is still laying atop the large rock, bow in hand yet apparently so addled by drink as to not know and/or care about the events around. So the question persists; what do you do?

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

@Dragoknighte@rivaan@Remipa Awesome@Lewascan2

The TLDR of the map and actions thusfar:

Between burning some ki, lots of wine, and the sneaky abilities of the party, the Goblins still have not caught on that they are in any danger whatsoever (that you can tell). One roll was close, but no cigar. The battle map is updated to reflect the characters' locations; do with this what you will. Kosara and Hugh are spending quality time behind large rocks, Kathryn is sticking to the road, Marita is taking point, and Victoria is backing her up (while still using the lady as cover, sort of). Morty seems happy to stick with its creator, backing up the backup.

As it sits presently, Hugh has an action readied and a target picked out. When the conditions for this come to pass, even if it's just Hugh deciding that he's tired of waiting and subtlety be damned, he gets to interrupt the flow. This aside, I would suggest that the order of the next posting cycle be determined amongst yourselves before we proceed, if one is waiting on the actions of others. If you are too close to Day 7 before this roll around, go ahead with a two paragraph filler post and circle back to it when it's appropriate to do so.

Example: Victoria is going to back up Marita, as she sees Kathryn stopping at the road. Ergo, Victoria should take her action after Marita, more or less around the time Kathryn does. Being as V is on Day 5, if this isn't resolved in two days then a quick observational post will be made.

Continuing, please put any questions or requests in our Discord's OOC Lounge as per usual. Describe how you got to the spot on the map where you are now, and the fruits of your actions which are to be rolled for this posting cycle if rolls are required of you.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Victoria Belmont Half-Elf, Bard, Level 3 HP: 23 / 23 Armor Class: 15 Conditions: N/A Location: P14 Action: N/A Bonus Action: Bardic Inspiration (Marita, Kathryn) Reaction: N/A

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If it were up to Victoria, she might have used the opportunity of the Goblins being caught off-guard to rush in - or more accurately, utilize the superior fighting experience and armament of the rest of her newfound party while giving support somewhere off to the side in relative safety. A little song, bolstering words, and the like while they licked their wounds and then carried about their way afterward. This was not quite the fast and thrilling moment that she might have committed to paper later on. But this group was very new. No one really had a feel for the others' abilities and competencies. No one really shared much past the basics. So, to Victoria's point of view, here they all were pulling a plan out of their collective asses with the hope that it wouldn't result in anyone's death.

Check that; anyone of their deaths. Victoria held no strong opinion against the concept of the party arranging a meeting between the Goblins and their patron deities. There might even be money in it for her.

Still, the plans laid out as they were did not accurately reflect her general role in a pitched battle. It was almost like they saw her as another hand to hold a sword. She did make it a point to mention, as Marita drafted her plan following Hugh's observations, "I concur that my talents are best plied in the shadows, at first, though I fear that after the fight is joined I might do him a disservice." Keeping hidden and being in her presence as she plucked the strings of The Weave were generally not compatible, the showy person that she was. "For staging, yes, I shall join Hugh. Following this, I need to position myself where I might better support those of you in the thick of battle." She looked down to her constant companion, the burlap-wrapped Morty, adding, "I can send him hickory-smoked support if the baddies come a'calling." The rest of that sentence was, "unless she needed it", but it was left unsaid.

Victoria's main point, the one which she attempted to stress in her opinion just earlier, was that her role was that of support. With this in mind, the itinerant Bard stepped up to their two self-appointed frontline combatants and addressed them in quietish tones, "Marita, Kathryn, I know this probably isn't anything new to you. We all have the little parts we play in this dance, though yours are the most important. More than this, yours are the most dangerous. Were I in charge of this, I could think of none better to lead the charge against these creatures." An understanding expression went to Marita first, as Victoria continued, "I will never put my faith in your deity, Marita; not as you do. But despite our differences, I can put my faith in you to see this through. And I do." Turning to Kathryn and having to crane her neck upward to make eye contact (difficult as that was through her helmet), she added this time with a mischievous smile which bordered on the amused, "Now you? I cannot wait to see the righteous carnage you are physically capable of spreading around the battlefield, Lady Half-Giant. You're a force, just look at you."

The inspirational, Necromantic Bard threw back her purple-lined, charcoal cloak to ready for more dexterous movement, then adjusted the strap on her violin case and sword belt respectively. "Now, we know what we need to do. We are warriors. Heroes. We've got this." Looking over everyone equally, Victoria nodded a bolstering affirmation, finishing with, "So let's be heroes. Are we ready? Let's go." While she was not a fan of taking appointments of command, Victoria was an accomplished speaker, able to channel nuanced emotion into every syllable and bring out surprising result in others. It was one of her greatest nonmagical gifts, aside perhaps from her abilities as a performer. Disagreements among the party were meaningless right now as battle was to be joined and blood shed across the warm colors of the autumn leaves. Their first battle would color their every action they took as a group which followed. For everyone's sake Victoria wanted them inspired and optimistic, especially the two out front drawing enemy aggression.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

@Dragoknighte@rivaan@Remipa Awesome@Lewascan2

To be clear, we are NOT in Initiative order yet. Nothing has been rolled to this effect, continue to do your thing and speak among yourselves in the OOC Lounge in Discord. A couple of caveats to this: 1) Restrict movement to the amount which you would be able to in one combat round. 2) While Initiative has not been rolled, I am doing checks behind the DM Screen (a restricted room in the Discord server) to see when and/or if the group is noticed as a whole. While they appear fairly oblivious, there is still a chance. Please keep this in mind. 3) In the Location part of your header, fill in with the square you are currently occupying, an arrow ( -> ) and the square you are going to.

Example: P14 -> K18

Now, when combat is entered into officially, the posting rules change. Roll your initiatives in the Discord OOC and tag me. I will roll for the baddies and we'll get ourselves an initiative order. The first person in that list has TWO DAYS to handle requests and post their actions. Actions are to be noted in the spaces provided in your header. When you are done with your actions, TAG THE NEXT PERSON IN THE INITIATIVE ORDER in your post. If it's an NPC, that means it's me.

I must admit that there is a flaw in my system here, as it relates to Reactions. All I can say is that we'll cross that bridge when it comes to it. If you can get in a Reaction and choose to, let me know. Until a better system is in place, we will work something out.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Battle Map

New information, however scant it might have been, led to an increased sense of wariness. This was part and parcel of the adventuring life. In the hopes of maintaining greater openness of movement, the decision was reached among the majority of the party to leave the wagon behind. In all fairness, the increased mobility options were actually secondary to the safety of the mule in a potentially hostile situation, were one to read the metaphorical room.

Being on foot came with some advantages. A mostly unobstructed view was one such advantage, as thick trunks posed the greatest threat to the party's vantage rather than wagon canvas or bright, autumn-kissed leaves. This led to a series of revelations that might test the resolve of persons lesser than the stalwart team of professional soldiers of fortune such as the group which came down the road. To be blunt, it was a brutal sight that posed many more questions than it answered. But let us start with the answers: The laughter and jabbering indeed came from Goblin-folk. What looked like a supposedly organized squad of the mean, green beasties could be sighted in the general vicinity to a cart which was indeed turned over on its side. Three could be seen gathered around a large barrel near the cart. Another three around a campfire, above which something fleshy cooked. One might barely be seen a ways back, near a large rock which jutted from the ground; atop said rock was another Goblin carrying a shortbow. He seemed to have been placed there with the intent of keeping some sort of watch.

But the devil, so to speak, is always in the details. Three large barrels littered the area, either empty or being emptied. One might imagine from the scent wafting about the area that those barrels held wine, and probably very good wine, once upon a time. The scent of noble grapecraft did have its competition, though - the aroma of some manner of cooked, probably unseasoned meat hung greasily in the air as well, lending this place to have a feeling of excesses. And perhaps more stunningly out of place from everything else, a carefully crafted coffin lay out in the middle of open ground near the tipped wagon. It was large enough to fit a Human or Half-Elf, were one in the market for a body box. Perhaps even more gruesome and related to that last detail, was the portion of meat sizzling above the campfire. You can't quite tell from this distance, but you think you might see toes and an anklebone to one end of it.

The Goblins appear to be unaware of the party's presence, or really anything else, at this point. More to the truth of thing, they appear to be in differing states of drunkenness. Hostile to one another as much as anything else, as well. Two of them by the campfire appear to be dead to the world, as is their "lookout" atop the rock. Most of the others are armed with wicked looking knives and short swords. Those who are more active are gingerly filling cups and bowls from the casks of wine, treating it with the utmost of care before scurrying back a few paces and slurping it down unceremoniously. Some still chew on sections of crudely hacked apart meat. Mystery meat, one might imagine.

Your initial intelligence when coming into this region was that Goblins were sighted near the edges of the region bordering wilder lands. To see an obvious presence near to the center of Avonshire went against the usual reports of the region, and counterintuitive to words picked up from speaking to locals.

The ball is in your court, Adventurers.